Head of People

Who We Are AI is changing how software gets built. Code production is becoming a commodity. The focus is shifting from writing code to orchestrating, verifying, and governing change – and the toolchain is the new constraint. Gradle Technologies is at the center of this shift. We build Develocity, the context-engineering layer for AI-driven software delivery used by some of the world's leading software organizations – Netflix, Airbnb, Spotify, SAP, major global banks, and hundreds more. Develocity helps software teams achieve delivery excellence through deep observability, build and test acceleration and efficiency, and AI-powered intelligence across the entire toolchain – for Gradle Build Tool, Apache Maven™, sbt, Bazel, npm, and Python, with support for additional build tools coming soon. We are an AI-native company. AI is not a feature we're bolting on – it's central to how we work, how we think about our product, and where we're heading. We're investing deeply in making Develocity's unique data and decades of domain expertise accessible to both humans and AI agents, with trust, evidence, and explainability at the core of everything we build. We have partnered with the Apache Software Foundation, the Commonhaus Foundation, the Micronaut Foundation, and other OSS projects such as DuckDuckGo, Spring, Quarkus, Kotlin, JUnit, AndroidX, and many more to bring the values of Develocity also to the OSS Community. Our Values Seek to Understand: Everything starts with listening and understanding, and we strive to understand different viewpoints, problems, and motivations. Before we take action, we ensure we truly grasp the challenges, perspectives, and goals. Know the Why : We approach our work with a clear sense of purpose, ensuring every step is deliberate and focused. We take meaningful action with urgency, but never at the expense of thoughtful consideration. Innovate & Iterate : We embrace challenges and are not afraid to try new things, even if they might fail. With deep understanding and a clear purpose, we can develop creative and bold solutions to tackle challenges. Own the Outcome: We are empowered to take initiative and we maintain transparency in our work and its outcomes. When we execute, we take responsibility for our decisions, measure the success of our innovations, and learn from the results. Who You Are You are a senior People leader who thrives in the ambiguity and constant change of a scaling, global startup. You channel that energy into optimizing how the function operates, raising manager effectiveness, bringing AI into the People space, and coaching the team. You're a true player-coach and a genuine member of the senior leadership team who understands the business and the role People plays in its success. You : Operate fluently at both strategic and operational levels, across multiple countries and employment models (entities, EOR/PEO, contractors). Are energized by optimization and by applying AI and modern tech to the People function. Coach and mentor by instinct, and measure your function by outcomes, not activity. Responsibilities Lead and Optimize the People Function (Primary Focus) Serve as a full member of the senior leadership team, contributing to company strategy beyond the People remit. Lead the function end-to-end—People Ops, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Performance & Development, Employee Relations, and Culture—setting strategy, priorities, and operating cadence. Take a well-run function to the next level: streamline workflows, find leverage, and apply AI and modern People tech across operations, recruiting, onboarding, and analytics. Coach Managers and Develop the Team Build and run manager training and coaching that equips leaders to manage distributed, remote teams well. Lead, coach, and uplevel the People team through hands-on mentorship: a Senior People Ops Manager (Germany), a Lead People Ops Manager (US), a People Ops Associate (US), and a Lead Recruiter (UK). Run the Core People Disciplines Maintain reliable, compliant People operations and lifecycle (onboarding to offboarding) across ~165 people in nearly 30 countries, partnering with Legal and Finance on compliance, payroll, entities, and EOR/PEO models. Own talent acquisition strategy and a structured, consistent hiring bar in partnership with the Lead Recruiter. Maintain and refine compensation, equity, leveling, and benefits so they stay coherent and defensible across geographies. Steward culture, engagement, inclusion, and employee relations, using data to prioritize. Minimum Qualifications 10+ years in People/HR with prior senior ownership of a full People function - depth that means you've navigated the recurring, messy situations of a scaling global company and can hold your own as a peer on the senior leadership team. Experience operating at the scale of a globally distributed company with multiple employment models. A track record of optimizing and elevating an existing People function - improving processes, systems, and team performance rather than standing one up from scratch. Hands-on command of global People operations: multi-country employment compliance, payroll, and EOR/PEO or multi-entity models. Proven success leading, coaching, and developing a distributed People team. A player-coach with strong business acumen who understands how the business works and the role People plays in its success. Experience leading through influence, not just through direct authority. Preferred Qualifications Direct experience at a remote-first company operating at our scale A demonstrated track record of using AI to meaningfully improve People workflows, efficiency, or analytics. Experience supporting a technical or engineering-heavy workforce. What We Offer Work on a category-defining product with a massive user base and a clear vision for the future. Competitive salary, equity package, and comprehensive healthcare offerings (Medical, Dental, Vision). Close collaboration with an ambitious and experienced team. Opportunities for growth in your career and in leadership responsibilities. Annual learning & development stipend and monthly company-wide Learning Days. Work from home in a remote-first environment with a generous home office stipend. Location Remote from the US East Coast. While our team works remotely and is spread across the globe, we deeply value daily interactions and collaboration. Compensation We offer competitive salaries and equity grants to all team members. The US salary range for this position is $200,000 to $250,000. Within this range, individual pay is determined by geographic location, experience, skills, qualifications, seniority, and performance.